Spotlight on Specials
Third Grade
Exploratory Team
Library
In our library classes this quarter students practiced using Destiny, our library management system. Students used the different search features on laptops and iPads to find books of interest to them. They wrote down the call number for the book and then located the book independently in the library. We talked about Melvil Dewey and the numbering system he created which allowed books on the same topic to be placed together on the shelves. Students were given a way to relate each of the ten categories to their own body to help them understand and remember each category better. Groups of students enjoyed acting out topics and determining in which of the ten categories that topic could be found. We watched a preview of some of the exciting books that were coming to the Scholastic Book Fair during Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences. We talked about encyclopedias and their usefulness when researching a topic. Just a reminder for students who chose to participate in the William Allen White Reading Program this year -- the deadline to submit reading logs is April 22nd. No reading logs will be accepted after that date. A copy can be found on the William Allen White Reading Program tab of my website at http://riverviewlibrary.weebly.com/ We will be voting for our favorite in April.
P.E.
The time is flying by! Third quarter was filled with scooters, throwing games, climbing, and basketball. We began the quarter with scooter hockey. The students seemed to really enjoy it and quickly picked up the skills needed to play the game. They learned how to dribble (with a whiffle ball instead of a puck), how to pass to a teammate, and how to shoot and score a goal. The students were great at all the skills and did a great job at putting them all together in actual scooter hockey games. Many students got to be goalies and try to stop the other team from scoring. It was a great unit! We were able to play some throwing games for fun, such as Sink the Ship and Star Wars 2. We then began our climbing unit. The students climbed both the rock wall and the cargo net. They were all a spotter at one point, where they made sure their partner was staying safe, following the rules, and were there to help their climber when they needed it. They showed great strength and balance, and courage during that unit! We ended the quarter with basketball. Just like many other sports, it is important to learn the skills first. It was fun to see what some students already knew, and what they learned by the end of the unit. We learned how to properly dribble (with finger pads, eyes up, dribble low), pass, and shoot. The students learned the acronym B.E.E.F. (Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow through), which helps them with their shooting form. We played many basketball related games such as Hot Shot, Knockout, Dribble Knockout, and Hot Spot. The words we focused on this quarter were maneuver, fundamentals, leader, balance, flexibility, hustle, foul (basketball term), and trustworthiness.
Music
I’m Mr. Relf, and I was the student teacher in music for 3rd quarter. I had a great time at Riverview Elementary teaching music. Every student was a delight to see in class during the quarter. We had lots of fun learning about music together. I wish the best for every student in 4th quarter and in their future years of making music! Here’s a little about what we did in third quarter:
3rd quarter for 3rd grade has been so much fun! The highlight of 3rd quarter was when the students traveled to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to hear the Kansas City Symphony. This was great exposure for the students, because they got to hear the pieces that they were listening to in class, hear the instruments that they had learned about in class, and also realize how music tells a story. The students did a lot of learning about the different families of instruments up until going to the Symphony. Recently, the students began to learn the recorder. They will be taking home their instruments to practice during 4th quarter!
Counselor
Technology
Art
During the third quarter, third graders have been busy in art. At the beginning of the quarter, third graders learned how to drawing from different perspectives such as: front, profile, back, birds-eye, and worms- eye. After reading Snowmen at Night, students drew snowman showing the different perspectives or points-of-views. Next, students created a Japanese inspired sumi-e (painting), which means ink picture. During this lesson, students learned how to paint bamboo trees using different types of brush strokes. Currently, students are learning about colorful animal wood carvings made in Oaxaca, Mexico, called alebrijies. Students listened to a story called The Dream Carver and analyzed images of alebrijies. Currently, students are making their own alebrijie bird out of recycled materials and paper mache.